Mt. Pelee, West Indies -- Page 2 of 2 Mt. Pelee, West Indies -- Page 2 of 2 Ash cloud above Mt. Pelee. Photograph of Mt. Pelee by Heilprin, August 30, 1902. Block of andesite ejected from Mt. Pelee during the eruption of August 30, 1902. Mt. Pelee has also erupted basaltic andesite and dacite . Photograph by Heilprin. Mt. Pelee is also notable for the growth of volcanic spines , rigid columns of solidified lava pushed above the throat of the volcano. This view from the south section of St. Pierre looking up to Mt. Pelee. Note the volcanic spine at the summit of the volcano. Photograph by Heilprin. A volcanic spine at the summit of the Mt. Pelee. Photograph by Heilprin. The spine began growing in November 1902. It reached a maximum height of about 1,000 feet (305 m) before it collapsed in mid-1903. Photograph by Lacroix. View of Mt.

Pelee after the collapse of the volcanic spine. Photograph by Heilprin. The most recent eruption of Mt. Pelee was from 1929 to 1932. Frank Perret established an observatory at the volcano to study the eruption. His observations contributed greatly to the understanding of pyroclastic flows and the growth of volcanic domes. The following quote is from Catalogue of Active Volcanoes of the World - Part XX, West Indies, by GR Robson & JF Tomblin; 1966 (p. 36-7): "In March 1929 the activity of the fumaroles on the 1902 dome began to increase...On September 16, the first explosions blew out lava blocks from the summit of the 1902-05 dome.

...By the middle of November, pyroclast flows began to be erupted, and these attained their maximum intensity by the middle of December....The growth of the new dome was first observed on February 3, 1930, small spines began to rise from the summit of the dome; the largest spine of this eruption, observed on November 22, 1931, being 45 meters tall. Activity continued on a diminishing scale until 1932." The Pelean-style of eruption, characterized by the growth and collapse of volcanic domes, is named for Mt. Pelee where this style of eruption was first studied in detail. Plinian eruptions are also common at Mt. Pelee. Sources of Information: Fisher, R.V., and Heiken, G., 1982, Mt. Pelee, Martinique; May 8 and 20, 1902, pyroclastic flows and surges: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 13, p. 339-371.

Fisher, R.V., Smith, A.L., and Roobol, M.J., 1980, Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique by ash-cloud surges, May 8 and 20, 1902: Geology, v. 8, p. 472-476. Heilprin, A., 1908, The eruption of Pelee: Philadelphia Geographic Society, 72 p. Hirn, A., Girardin, N., Viode, J.-P., and Eschenbrenner, S., 1987, Shallow seismicity at Montagne Pelee volcano, Martinique, Lesser Antilles: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 49, p. 723-728. Lacroix, A., 1904, La Montagne Pelee et ses eruptions: Paris, Masson et Cie, 622 p. Perret, F.A., 1937, The eruption of Mt. Pelee, 1929-1932: Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication, v. 458, 126 p.

Robson, G.R., and Tomlin, J.F., 1966, Catalogue of the active volcanoes of the world, including Solfatara fields; Part 20, West Indies: Rome, International Association of Volcanology, 56 p. Smith, A.L., and Roobol, M.J., 1990, Mt. Pelee, Martinique; A study of an active island-arc volcano: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir 175, 105 p. Westercamp, D., and Traineau, H., 1983, The past 5,000 years of volcanic activity at M. Pelee, Martinique (F.W.I.); Implications for assessment of volcanic hazards: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 17, p.159-185. How Volcanoes Work - the eruption of Mt. Pelee, Martinique MT. PELÉE ERUPTION (1902) OVERVIEW: The Tropical Paradise of St. Pierre The infamous volcano of Mt.

Pelée, shown in this 1987 photo, looms over the village of St. Pierre on the French Caribbean Island of Martinique. This sleepy little village shows little of the grandeur of turn-of-the-century St. Pierre, which was a vibrant colonial city, known to European tourists as the "Paris of the West Indies." With its red-tiled cottages, rambling streets, and tropical vegetation, this prosperous little city was renowned for its beauty. In the official 1894 census, the population of St. Pierre was around 20,000. Although most were native Martiniquans, the wealth and political power were controlled largely by Creoles and a few French colonial officials and civil servants. No one at the time could have predicted the horror that was to descend on this tropical paradise with the reawakening of Mt. Pelée in the Spring of 1902. PARADISE TURNS TO HELL Although in January 1902 Mt. Pelée began to show an abrupt increase in fumarole activity , the public showed little concern. This changed, however, on April 23 when minor explosions began at the summit of the volcano.

Over the next few days, St. Pierre was rocked by earth tremors, showered in ash, and enveloped in a thick cloud of choking sulfurous gas. These nightmarish conditions deteriorated further when the city and outlying villages were invaded by ground-dwelling insects and snakes driven from the slopes of Mt. Pelée by the ashfalls and tremors. Horses, pigs, and dogs screamed as red ants and foot-long centipedes crawled up their legs and bit them. Thousands of poisonous snakes joined the fray. An estimated 50 humans, mostly children, died by the snake bites, along with some 200 animals. As the summit eruptions intensified, water in the Etang Sec crater lake was heated to near boiling. On May 5, the crater rim gave way, sending a torrent of scalding water cascading down the River Blanche. The hot water mixed with loose pyroclastic debris to generate a massive lahar with a downslope speed of nearly 100 kilometers per hour. This large volcanic mudflow buried everything in its path. Near the mouth of the river, north of St. Pierre, it overran a rum distillery, killing 23 workmen.

The lahar continued into the sea, where it generated a three-meter-high tsunami which flooded the low-lying areas along the waterfront of St. Pierre. THE ELECTION Living near the volcano became increasingly stressful, leading many to consider leaving St. Pierre for Martinique's second city, Fort-de-France. On the day of the lahar, however, Governor Louis Mouttet received a report from a committee of civic leaders who climbed the volcano to assess the danger. The only scientist in the group was a local high school teacher. The report stated that "there is nothing in the activity of Mt. Pelée that warrants a departure from St. Pierre." It concluded that "the safety of St. Pierre is completely assured." The report eased the public's fears, and gave hope to city officials who were particularly anxious that voters remain in the city to cast their ballots for an election that was to be held on May 11. The only people with enough money to leave the island were the wealthy, nearly all of which belonged to the Progressive Party of Governor Mouttet. Mouttet convinced the conservative editor of the daily newspaper Les Colonies to downplay the danger of the volcano, and to lead the effort to encourage people to remain.

Still, some residents left the city for Fort-de-France. This prompted Governor Mouttet to send in troops to patrol the road to Fort-de-France, with orders to turn back refugees who were trying to leave. Based on the soothing articles that appeared in Les Colonies, many people in the countryside flocked to St. Pierre thinking that it was the safest place to be. The population ballooned to about 28,000, nearly all of which would perish in the cataclysmic eruption of May 8. THE ERUPTION OF MAY 8, 1902 The election scheduled for May 11 would not take place. The report issued by the investigating committee on May 5, failed to realize the potential danger of a large V-shaped notch cut through cliffs surrounding the summit crater. The notch was like a colossal gun sight pointing directly at St. Pierre four miles below. At about 7:50 a.m. on May 8, the volcano erupted with a deafening roar. A large black cloud composed of superheated gas, ash and rock rolled headlong down the south flank of Mt.

Pelée at more than 100 miles per hour, its path directed by the V-shaped notch at the summit. In less than one minute it struck St. Pierre with hurricane force. The blast was powerful enough to carry a three-ton statue sixteen meters from its mount. One-meter-thick masonary walls were blown into rubble and support girders were mangled into twisted strands of metal. The searing heat of the cloud ignited huge bonfires. Thousands of barrels of rum stored in the city's warehouses exploded, sending rivers of the flaming liquid through the streets and into the sea. The cloud continued to advanced over the harbor where it destroyed at least twenty ships anchored offshore. The hurricane force of the blast capsized the steamship Grappler, and its scorching heat set ablaze the American sailing ship Roraima, killing most of her passengers and crew. The Roraima had the misfortune of arriving only a few hours before the eruption. Those on on board could only watch in horror as the cloud descended on them after annihilating the city of St. Pierre. Of the ~28,000 people in St. Pierre, there were only two known survivors. The remains of St.

Pierre Nuée Ardente from Mt. Pelée The dynamic cloud of hot gases and incandescent solid particles that destroyed St. Pierre was a pyroclastic flow , a feature that was unknown to science at the time. Subsequent examples observed on Mt. Pelée were described by French volcanologists as nuée ardentes , or glowing clouds. THE SURVIVORS Although there were only two survivors in St. Pierre, there were other survivors on the outskirts of the town and in some of the ships moored in the harbor. Mercifully, death came quickly to those that perished. Some may have died by the sheer force of the blast, but most died within a few seconds after inhaling the scorching fumes and ash of the pyroclastic flow. The throats and lungs of most of the deceased were seared and their bodies badly burned. The tales of the two male survivors of St. Pierre are described briefly here, as well as the astonishing story of a young girl who looked straight into the mouth of a volcanic vent just before Mt. Pelée began to erupt.

THE SHOEMAKER A young shoemaker, Léon Compere-Léandre, was sitting on his doorstep when the nuée ardente hit. Although he was severely burnt he survived, partly because of his good health, but also because his house was near the edge of the pyroclastic flow. Here is his experience, in his own words: "I felt a terrible wind blowing, the earth began to tremble, and the sky suddenly became dark. I turned to go into the house, with great difficultuy climbed the three or four steps that separated me from my room, and felt my arms and legs burning, also my body. I dropped upon a table. At this moment four others sought refuge in my room, crying and writhing with pain, although their garmets showed no sign of having been touched by flame. At the end of 10 minutes one of these, the young Delavaud girl, aged about 10 years, fell dead; the others left. I got up and went to another room, where I found the father Delavaud, still clothed and lying on the bed, dead. He was purple and inflated, but the clothing was intact.

Crazed and almost overcome, I threw myself on a bed, inert and awaiting death. My senses returned to me in perhaps an hour, when I beheld the roof burning. With sufficient strength left, my legs bleeding and covered with burns, I ran to Fonds-Sait-Denis, six kilometers from St. Pierre." THE CONVICTED FELON The only other known survivor in St. Pierre became a minor celebrity. He was a husky 25-year-old roustabout named Louis-Auguste Cyparis, locally known simply as "Samson". In early April, Samson was put in jail for wounding one of his friends with a cutlass. Towards the end of his sentence, he escaped from a labouring job in town, danced all night, and then turned himself into the authorities the following morning. For this, he was sentenced to solitary confinement for a week in the prison's dungeon. On May 8, he was alone in his dungeon with only a small grated opening cut into the wall above the door. While waiting for his breakfast, his cell became dark and he was overcome by intense gusts of hot air mixed with ash that had entered through the grated opening.

He held his breathe while experiencing intense pain. After a few moments, the heat subsided. He was severally burned, but managed to survive for four days before he was rescued by people exploring the ruins of St. Pierre. After he recovered, he received a pardon and eventually joined the Barnum & Bailey Circus, where he toured the world billed as the "Lone Survivor of St. Pierre." THE LITTLE GIRL One of the most incredible escapes from Mt. Pelée was that of a young girl named Havivra Da Ifrile. Very early in the morning of May 8, Havivra was on her way to services at the catherdral in St. Pierre when her mother sent her on an errand. She was to walk to her aunt's pastry shop near a local tourist attraction known as the Corkscrew. The "Corkscrew" was named after a tourist trail that wound down into an ancient crater, or parasitic cone , located halfway up the flank of the volcano. As Havivra approached the Corkscrew, she noticed smoke rising from the crater.

After looking into the crater, she described it in this manner: "There I saw the bottom of the pit all red, like boiling, with little blue flames coming from it." She apparently saw three people trying to run up the Corkscrew before they were engulfed in ". . . a puff of blue smoke . . " and ". . . fell as if killed." She fled toward St. Pierre. "Just as I got to the main street I saw this boiling stuff burst from the top of the Corkscrew and run down the side of the hill. It followed the road first, but then as the stream got bigger, it ate up the houses on both sides of the road. Then I saw that a boiling red river was coming from another part of the hill and cuttung off the escape of the people who were running from their houses." Frightened, Havivra ran to the shore and jumped into her brother's small boat and headed along the shore to a cave that she used to play pirate in with her friends. "But before I got there I looked back -- and the whole side of the mountain which was near the town seemed to open and boil down on the screaming people.

I was burned a good deal by the stones and ashes that came flying about the boat, but I got to the cave." While in the safety of the cave, she heard a hissing sound as the hot pyroclastic debris entered the water. The last thing she remembered before lapsing into unconsciousness was the water rising rapidly toward the roof of the cave. She was later found by the French cruiser Suchet drifting two miles out to sea in her charred and broken boat. THE MAGNIFICENT TOWER OF PELÉE In October of that year, a lava dome began to rise out of the crater floor. It grew for a solid year into a gigantic shaft in the form of an obelisk. It has been described by many as the most spectacular lava dome produced in historic times. It was 350 to 500 feet thick at its base and it soared to over 1000 feet above the base of the crater floor. It sometimes rose at a remarkable rate, up to 50 ft/day.

The huge spine of lava became known as the "Tower of Pelée." At night the sides of this magnificent monolith was marked by traces of red incandescent cracks from the still hot lava in its interior. At its maximum size, the Tower of Pelée was twice the height of the Washington Monument and equal in volume to the Great Pyramid (Cheops) of Egypt. It finally became unstable and collapsed into a pile of rubble in March 1903, after 11 months of growth. No geologist had ever witnessed the emergence of such an object before. Global Volcanism Program | Pelee Cite this Report Seismicity in 1929 crater Seismicity began on 11 December 1985, the first recorded since a well-implemented volcano monitoring network was installed in 1978. A constant low level of seismicity has been observed since December, totalling 30 events as of 4 June. Two 3-component stations were established for a month, helping to locate the shocks, at a constant depth of 1-1.5 km below the 1929 crater.

Magnitudes were weak, all <2, and only a few were recorded at the Morne des Cadets observatory, 9 km SW of the epicentral area. The seismic network is composed of five seismometers within 5 km of the summit. Seismic signals noted before the recent activity were attributed to surface phenomena such as rockfalls or local landslides. Information Contacts: N. Girardin and A. Hirn, IPGP, France; G. Boudon and J.P. Viode, Observatoire Volcanologique de la Montagne Pelée, Martinique. The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Pelee. Bulletin Reports - Index Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports. 609,576 Geological Summary Renowned Montagne Pelée, forming the northern end of the island of Martinique, is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc.

Three major edifice failures since the late Pleistocene, the last about 9000 years ago, have left large horseshoe-shaped calderas breached to the SW inside which the modern volcano has been constructed. More than 20 major eruptions have occurred here during the past 5000 years. Extensive pyroclastic-flow deposits, incised by steep-walled ravines, mantle the slopes of the volcano. The l'Etang Sec summit crater is filled by two lava domes emplaced during the 1902 and 1929 eruptions. Historical eruptions date back to the 18th century; only two modest phreatic or phreatomagmatic eruptions took place prior to 1902. The catastrophic 1902 eruption, which destroyed the city of St. Pierre, the "Pearl of the Lesser Antilles," became the type-example of pelean eruptions and marked the onset of modern volcanological studies of the behavior of pyroclastic flows. References The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Boudon G, Le Friant A, Villemant B, Viode J-P, 2005. Martinique. In: Lindsay J M, Robertson R E A, Shepherd J B, Ali S (eds). {Volcanic Hazard Atlas of the Lesser Antilles}, Trinidad and Tobago, Seismic Res Unit, Univ West Indies, p 127-146. Deplus C, Le Friant A, Boudon G, Komorowski J-C, Villemant B, Harford C, Segoufin J, Cheminee J-L, 2001. Submarine evidence for large-scale debris avalanches in the Lesser Antilles arc. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 192: 145-157. Fichaut M, Maury R C, Traineau H, Westercamp D, Joron J L, Gourgaud A, Coulon C, 1989. Magmatology of Mt. Pelee (Martinique, F.W.I.). III. Fractional crystallization versus magma mixing. J Volc Geotherm Res, 38: 189-213.

Gourgaud A, Fichaut M, Joron J -L, 1989. Magmatology of Mt. Pelee (Martinique, F.W.I.). I: Magma mixing and triggering of the 1902 and 1929 Pelean nuees ardentes. J Volc Geotherm Res, 38: 143-169. Lacroix A, 1904. La Montagne Pelee et ses eruptions. Paris: Masson et Cie, 662 p. Le Friant A, Boudon G, Deplus C, Villemant B, 2003. Large-scale flank collapse events during the activity of Montagne Pelee, Martinique, Lesser Antilles. J Geophys Res, 108: 2055, doi:10.1029/2001JB001624. Mattiioli G S, Jansma P E, Jaramillo L, Smith A L, 1996.

A desktop image processing and photogrammetric method for rapid volcanic hazard mapping: application to air-photo interpretation of Mount Pelee, Martinique. Bull Volc, 58: 401-410. Perret F A, 1937. The eruption of Mt. Pelee 1929-1932. Carnegie Inst Wash Pub, 458: 1-126. Robson G R, Tomblin J, 1966. West Indies. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 20: 1-56. Roobol M J, Smith A L, 1976. A pattern of alternating eruptive styles. Geology, 4: 521-524. Smith A L, Roobol M J, 1990. Mont Pelee, Martinique--A study of an active island arc volcano. Geol Soc Amer Mem, 175: 114 p. Tanguy J C, 1994.

The 1902-1905 eruptions of Montagne Pelee, Martinique: anatomy and retrospection. J Volc Geotherm Res, 60: 87-107. Tanguy J C, 2004. Rapid dome growth at Montagne Pelee during the early stages of the 1902-1905 eruption: a reconstruction from Lacroix's data. Bull Volc, 66: 615-621. Vincent P M, Bourdier J L, Boudon G, 1989. The primitive volcano of Mount Pelee: Its construction and partial destruction by flank collapse. J Volc Geotherm Res, 38: 1-15. Westercamp D, Traineau H, 1983. The past 5,000 Years of volcanic activity at Mt. Pelee, Martinique, (FWI): implications for assessment of volcanic hazards. J Volc Geotherm Res, 17: 159-186.

Zlotnicki J, Boudon G, Viode J P, Delarue J F, Mille A, Bruere F, 1998. Hydrothermal circulation beneath Mount Pelee inferred by self potential surveying. Structural and tectonic implications. J Volc Geotherm Res, 84: 73-91. Eruptive History Summary of Holocene eruption dates and Volcanic Explosivity Indices (VEI). Start Date Dome Photo Gallery Mount Pelée towers above the city of St. Pierre (on the coast at the left), which the volcano destroyed during a catastrophic eruption in 1902. Pelée is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc, with more than 20 major eruptions during the past 5000 years. The modern volcano was constructed on the rim of a large SW-facing horseshoe-shaped caldera whose northern wall is the ridge in the shadow on the left horizon. This caldera formed as a result of slope failure of the paleo-Pelée volcano. Photo by Richard Fiske, 1977 (Smithsonian Institution).

The summit of Pelée volcano rises immediately above scientists from the Mount Pelée volcano observatory and the Smithsonian Institution who are taking precision leveling measurements on the west flank. This procedure, sometimes referred to as "dry tilt," detects deformation of the volcano that often precedes an eruption by measuring the precise differences in elevation between two stadia rods placed on fixed points. This technique is part of monitoring efforts by the observatory to help detect future eruptions of this scenic, but deadly volcano. Photo by Lee Siebert, 1977 (Smithsonian Institution). This photo portrays an unusual combination of geology and history. The light-colored deposits in this outcrop south of St. Pierre are pyroclastic-flow deposits similar to those of eruptions that destroyed the city in 1902. The abundant large holes in the outcrop are not a volcanological phenomenon, but were produced by cannon balls blasted into the unconsolidated deposit during British-French wars for control of the island of Martinique. Photo by Richard Fiske, 1977 (Smithsonian Institution). Two lava domes fill much of the Caldiera de l'Etang Sec crater at the summit of Mount Pelee.

The lava dome at the left, seen from the east rim of the crater, was formed during an eruption that began in 1929. The vegetated knob halfway down the right skyline is a lava dome from the 1902 eruption. The 1929 eruption was similiar to that of 1902, but smaller in scale. After explosive removal of part of the 1902 dome, growth of a new dome began in January 1930. Pyroclastic flows accompanied dome growth until the end of 1932. Photo by William Melson, 1973 (Smithsonian Institution). Mount Pelée towers above the city of St. Pierre in northern Martinique a century after the catastrophic eruption that destroyed the city in 1902. Pelée is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc, with more than 20 major eruptions during the past 5000 years.

Lava domes formed during the 1902 eruption and one in 1929 form the present summit, which was constructed within a large scarp visible on the lower left horizon that formed when the volcano collapsed about 9000 years ago. Photo by Lee Siebert, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). Fireworks rise above the harbor and city of St. Pierre on May 8, 2002, marking the 100th anniversary of the catastrophic 1902 eruption. Thousands of lanterns were also placed in the harbor to commemorate the 28,000 victims of the Montagne Pelée eruption. Photo by Paul Kimberly, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). This prison cell in the city of St. Pierre housed one of the only two survivors of the 8 May 1902, eruption of Mount Pelée. Devastating pyroclastic flows and surges swept down the SW flank of the volcano early in the morning and destroyed the city, killing 28,000 people in the world's deadliest eruption of the 20th century.

Photo by Paul Kimberly, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). This view looks west from the 1902 lava dome within the summit crater of Mount Pelée. The area beyond the grassy knoll was part of the first portion of the ancestral volcano that underwent massive edifice collapse more than 100,000 years ago. This massive collapse produced a 25 cu km debris avalanche that swept into the Caribbean Sea up to 70 km from the coastline. Mount Pelée was subject to three major episodes of edifice collapse--the second took place about 25,000 years and the third about 9000 years ago. Photo by Paul Kimberly, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). The steep-sided grassy knob in the right foreground is part of the Aileron lava dome, which formed during an eruption about 9700 years ago. This view looks to the SE towards the town of Morne Rouge (left-center), which was devastated by pyroclastic flows during the 1902 eruption. The Pleistocene Piton du Carbet volcano lies in the clouds on the right-center horizon.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). The steep-sided lava dome at the left is Aileron, which was formed about 9700 years ago. The back side of the dome was cut by the latest of three major edifice-collapse events at Mount Pelée. The eastern rim of l'Etang Sec, the current summit crater, cuts horizontally across the photo at the upper right in front of the 1929 dome on the right horizon. Photo by Lee Siebert, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). This view from the summit of Mount Pelée shows the eastern rim of l'Etang Sec, the current summit crater of Mount Pelée. The 1902 and 1920 lava domes fill much of this crater. The town with reddish roofs at the far right is Morne Rouge, affected by pyroclastic flows from the 1902 eruption. Photo by Paul Kimberly, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). The 1929 lava dome forms the summit of Mount Pelée in this telephoto view from St. Pierre.

The modern volcano was constructed within a scarp produced by collapse of the volcano about 9000 years ago. The irregularity on the right-hand flank is part of the eastern summit crater rim and the Aileron lava dome, which erupted about 9700 years ago. Photo by Paul Kimberly, 2002(Smithsonian Institution). The 1902 lava dome fills much of the l'Etang Sec summit crater, as seen here from Morne Macouba, north of the summit. Following the catastrophic eruption on May 8, 1902, rapid growth of a summit lava dome began; it reached 350 m height by July 6. Intermittent explosive activity continued until October 31, 1903 and lava dome growth continued on a diminishing scale until October 5, 1905. The famous spine at one point rose to 1617 m, 220 m above the current summit (the 1929 lava dome), before it crumbled away. Photo by Paul Kimberly, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database The following 33 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections . Catalog number links will open a window with more information. Catalog Number Location MOUNT PELEE Location Mount Pelee is located on the French Caribbean Island of Martinique, in the West Indies of France (Volcano World 2005). Figure 3- A map showing the island of Martinique, where Mount Pelee is located. Figure 4- A map of Martinique; the volcano destroyed St. Pierre in the early 1900s. Pelee | Define Pelee at Dictionary.com noun 1. Mount Pelée, a volcano in the Caribbean, in N Martinique: erupted in 1902, killing every person but one in the town of Saint-Pierre. Height: 1463 m (4800 ft) Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Mt. Pelee, West Indies -- Page 1 of 2 Mt. Pelee, West Indies -- Page 1 of 2 Location: 14.8N, 61.1W Elevation: 4,583 feet (1,397 m) Mt. Pelee, a stratovolcano made mostly of pyroclastic rocks, is on the north end of the island of Martinique. Martinique is part of the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc. The arc is formed by the subduction of the North American Plate under the Caribbean Plate. Space Shuttle photo of Martinique with Mt. Pelee on the north (left) end of the island. Mt. Pelee is famous for the May 8, 1902 eruption which killed 29,000 people and destroyed the city of St. Pierre.

This is the largest number of casualities for a volcanic eruption this century. Photograph of Mt. Pelee by Heilprin, May 26, 1902. The destruction was caused by a nuee ardente , a type of pyroclastic flow that consists of hot incandescent solid particles. Photograph of a pyroclastic flow by Heilprin, 1902. Photograph of the remains of St. Pierre by Heilprin, 1902. Continued on Page 2 Sources of Information: Fisher, R.V., and Heiken, G., 1982, Mt. Pelee, Martinique; May 8 and 20, 1902, pyroclastic flows and surges: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 13, p. 339-371. Fisher, R.V., Smith, A.L., and Roobol, M.J., 1980, Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique by ash-cloud surges, May 8 and 20, 1902: Geology, v.

8, p. 472-476. Heilprin, A., 1908, The eruption of Pelee: Philadelphia Geographic Society, 72 p. Hirn, A., Girardin, N., Viode, J.-P., and Eschenbrenner, S., 1987, Shallow seismicity at Montagne Pelee volcano, Martinique, Lesser Antilles: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 49, p. 723-728. Lacroix, A., 1904, La Montagne Pelee et ses eruptions: Paris, Masson et Cie, 622 p. Perret, F.A., 1937, The eruption of Mt. Pelee, 1929-1932: Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication, v. 458, 126 p. Robson, G.R., and Tomlin, J.F., 1966, Catalogue of the active volcanoes of the world, including Solfatara fields; Part 20, West Indies: Rome, International Association of Volcanology, 56 p.

Smith, A.L., and Roobol, M.J., 1990, Mt. Pelee, Martinique; A study of an active island-arc volcano: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir 175, 105 p. Westercamp, D., and Traineau, H., 1983, The past 5,000 years of volcanic activity at M. Pelee, Martinique (F.W.I.); Implications for assessment of volcanic hazards: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 17, p.159-185. Mont Pelee volcano:Martinique World volcano Profiles > Caribbean Volcanoes> Mt Pelee Martinique Mont Pelee(1379m / 4583 ft) is a volcano on the island of Martinique and erupted dramatically in 1902. On the northern tip of the Lesser Antilles island of Martinique it is considered the most regularly active volcano in the Caribbean. Pelee means bald in French and this probably refers to the denuded volcanic landscape the first French settlers saw in 1635.

Martinique is one of the remaining outposts of France in the world and you can have proper croissants that taste as good as the one in France after a dip in the Caribbean. The volcano was last active 1930. In 1902 a catastrophic eruption destroyed the beautiful town of St.Pierre killing 30 000 people. The Geology Bit Martinique owes its existence to volcanic acivity and is part of the Antilles Island Arc. Formed due to the subduction of oceanic crust of the North American Plate beneath the Caribbean Plate in a WSW direction at a rate of 2.2cm/year. As the oceanic plate descends magma is generated which gradually works its way to the surface ans ecentually erupts as a volcano. The oldest rocks on the island are 24 million years old and there are 8 volcanic centres. The Chemistry of the erupted rocks implies that the magmas for each centre came from different sources. The oldest lavas are andesitic lavas with a strong influence from tholeiitic magma which is high in Iron and Magnesian (tholeiitic melts are the same source and compostion as basalt lavas, same as oceanic crust).

Around 16 million years ago melts became more calc-alkaline and richer in silica with more andesite erupted. This second phase is more typical of a mature volcanc arc. Mt. Pelee is a 400,000 year old stratovolcano and was formed mostly by violent explosive eruptions. The Nuee Ardentes of pyroclastic flows have been caused by dome collapse ( as on Montserrat) and eruption column collapse , where the upward eruption of material in a cloud cannot be maintained and the material collapses back to earth. Both types produce Nuee Ardentes or pyroclastic flows and the associated pumice ignimbrite deposits of ash and ejecta. The 1902 eruption was probably a lateral blast which contained little material but was composed of superheated steam,gas and some ash. Over the last 5000 years the volcano has alternated between Nuee Ardente and Plinian eruptions around every 750 years. How volcanoes work: Mt.Pelee The 1902 eruption On May 8 1902 Mt.Pelee unleashed an eruption which killed 30 00 people.

Probably the highest volcanic death toll in modern times. Volcanology was in its infancy in the 1800s and the previous stirrings of the volcano in 1792,1851 and 1889 were considered nothing to be concerned about. In February 1902 sulphurous gases killed birds and in April earthquakes shook the mountain and the first eruption cloud covered residents in ash. If this had happened in modern times then evacuation and close monitoring would have been organised but in 1902 the Martinique government had more pressing matters to attend to. The elections to decide who controlled the island. The ruling Progressive party wanted to maintain white control of the island and were being rivalled by a black candidate from the Radical party. In St.Pierre a the Progressive Party had won but not by a clear enough majority so another vote had to be organised for May 11. On May 2 the volcano rumbled and showered the countryside with ash a glow was seen at the summit. People came to St.Pierre to escape the worst of the ash. A Martinique newspaper assured residents that there was no real danger and even organised a boat excursion to see the volcano on May 4.

On May 3 and 4 people watched the fireworks from the volcano. Food and fresh water were running low but the residents stayed on because of the election and reassurances that all was well! A mudflow engulfed a sugar mill and killed 23 people . When it entered the sea it caused a Tsunami which inundated the water front area killing 68 people. Soldiers were now brought in to prevent people leaving the city!The local population turned to Voodoo rituals for help. On wednesay the 7th Nuee Ardent clouds flowed down the mountain but injured no one as the villages were by now empty. The Italian ship Orsalina was due to sail on the 8 but here captain sailed a day early leaving his passengers behind. On the Morning of May 8 at 7.50am, as people were going to the Ascension Day services, a black cloud raced down the volcano at an estimated speed of 600km/hour and engulfed St.Pierre. A giant eruption cloud covered the sky for a 50 mile radius. The Governor ,his wife , The American consul ,his wife and the British consul were all killed as were 29 000 other residents.

The city was probably destroyed by a thin and rapidly moving Pyroclastic surge which came out laterally from the volcano. Only a few cms of ash was deposited so it seems the surge was probably only part of the explosion and the part of the eruption Nuee Ardente did not reach the town,as more rocks and a thicker deposit would have been left.(similar to Mt.St.Helens). The blast was composed of gas,steam and dust and was probably around 1000 C . The city burnt for several days afterwards. 18 ships with crew and passengers in the harbour were also destroyed. Only 2 people survived on land a shoemaker and a prisoner in a small cell - Cyparis. A British ship managed to limp to St.Lucia with a badly burnt crew. The volcano carried on erupting violently until the end of August taking another 1000 lives in villages. A tall Spine of lava was extruded from the summit reaching 340m in 1903. Thankfully modern science can hopefully avoid such disasters happening again. The eruption lent its name to a pelean type of eruption which involves a lateral superheated blast.

Not until MtSt.Helens would one be closely studied again. What to See and How to see it? First thing to realise is that Martinique is essentially piece of France transplanted into the Caribbean - so some French language phrases will go down well as English is not widely spoken( even if people speak it!) Secondly its a hot and steamy place with a hurricane season through Summer and Autumn. Martinique is a department of France so has the Euro as its currency.

Question: On which West Indian island is the volcano Mount Pelee situated?
Answer: Martinique